


Skin Deep

by KnifeBinaryPrince



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Crying, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Selkie Lance (Voltron), Selkies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 05:15:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15503103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KnifeBinaryPrince/pseuds/KnifeBinaryPrince
Summary: Lance lay under the cold spray of the shower, the temperature setting at its lowest as he sat on the floor. His head rested against his knees, arms wrapped around his legs, pulling his knees closer to his chest. A shudder went through him, but not because of the cold.It was never because of the cold.





	Skin Deep

**Author's Note:**

> Been mentioning writing out this selkie au for the longest but never got around to doing it, but now I have so enjoy! Second part coming soon!

It was shocking really, the cold biting at whatever skin was exposed within mere seconds of submerging.

 

The only skin available was from the neck up along with some holes in his suit at the torso, Lance’s helmet damaged and in the dark abyss of water somewhere, sinking to the bottom much faster than he currently was.

 

Logically he knew he should be moving, trying to swim up towards the surface where equally biting air was available.

 

But for some reason he found himself pausing, breath held as images of ice sheets and dark, frigid waters came to mind. Memories from long ago once fuzzy and blurred coming back to him in crystal clear clarity. He could almost feel the cold of the ice under him and the warmth of the ever present sunlight on his face from when he was younger.

 

The light filtering through the water from the surface came down in long, shining rays, the blue green glow of color around it giving the moment an eerie feeling of calm. The stillness of it all, even with the chaos from above, fascinated him.

 

Time seemed to pass by slowly, the light getting dimmer as he descended into the water's freezing, murky depths.

 

After what could’ve been hours for all he knew but was probably minutes, his trance had finally broken when burning chunks of a Galran ship hit the water above him. Bubbles rose to the surface in clouds of heated white, the sound like a muffled waterfall of roaring water that traveled to Lance’s ears, surrounding him until he could hear nothing else.

 

He swam out of it’s way just in time, the heat from it just barely scalding him even through his damaged armor. He continued swimming upwards, head breaking the surface a couple minutes later.

 

Just like the water, the air was just as cold if not colder, bits of frost already forming a thin layer on his face as he turned to look for land. A difficult task with the last of the daylight slipping beyond the horizon.

 

A sharp outcropping of rock caught his attention and without further prompting he began to swim towards it, ignoring the heavy burn in his muscles from treading water for so long and the battle he had endured before that.

 

By the time he made it to the small island of rock he was exhausted, nearly slipping back into the frigid waters as he tried to get a proper grip to drag himself on the ice covered mass. When he had finally hoisted himself all the way on he took a moment to catch his breath, every part of him feeling heavy and sluggish with fatigue.

 

It was well past sundown by now, the night sky dark with purple hues and black smoke, bits of Galran ships still burning in the water and on land in orange yellow glows, smoldering against the inky blackness of night.

 

Lance guessed the battle was done with, which relieved him. But it also worried him that he couldn’t see any of the Lions including his own.

 

Apparently he’d drifted out farther than he thought.

 

He sighed heavily, breath coming out in a cloud of fog he could barely see as he moved to lift his wrist, turning his locator on before he leaned against the cold, ice covered rock next to him. Memories of ice dens flitting through his mind as he closed his eyes, the rumble of a lion echoing around him as he slipped into unconsciousness.

 

* * *

 

 

“Is he going to be okay?” Pidge asked worriedly, voicing everyone’s concern for the blue paladin’s well being.

 

Lance was currently in one of the healing pods, the rest of the team in the room close by, all looking to Allura and Coran for an answer patiently.

 

“Yes…he’s going to be fine actually.” Allura said, face puzzled.

 

“What’s wrong Allura?” Hunk asked, noticing her expression.

 

“Nothing, it’s just…he’s going to be perfectly fine.” She repeated, eyes flitting over the information that was  currently displayed on the screen.

 

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Keith spoke up, watching the proceedings with interest.

 

“I think what Princess Allura is trying to say, is that it’s odd there’s nothing more that ails Lance. According to the scans he’s merely tired, despite having been adrift in the unbearable waters of Uprak for over an hour. Especially with his armor damaged as it was, I’m surprised he even lasted as long as a couple ticks.” Coran interjected, pulling at his mustache as he spoke.

 

“It can’t be that bad, right? I mean Lance is okay so it couldn’t have really been that bad…right?” Hunk questioned, concern for his best friend held in his voice.

 

“Actually if we convert the numbers to your measurement system back on Earth the temperatures would read in the negative fifties. Is that bearable for humans?” Coran asked.

 

He took the shocked ticks of silence as a no.

 

Before anyone could say anything there was a hiss as the healing pod opened, Lance falling out into someone’s arms, still out cold.

 

“Let’s get him to his room to rest, we’ll ask him about this when he wakes.” Allura suggested, the others silently agreeing with her.

 

* * *

 

 

When Lance awoke he felt sluggish, like his body had gotten twice as heavy as he slept.

 

And with it a growing tightness in his chest as well. Like a heavier stone had settled on his heart, homesickness clawing at his ribcage like an angered beast. He hugged his blanket closer, content with staying in bed just a little longer.

 

A feat that proved futile when someone knocked at his door, letting themselves in right after.

 

“Lance, you’re awake!”

 

In an instant Lance was enveloped in a bone crushing hug, warm and inviting.

 

Hunk.

 

“Hunk, buddy, I love your hugs but I’d like to breathe.” Lance gasped out, getting a rush of apologies from Hunk before he explained what had happened while he was out.

 

“Wait, I was out for two days?”

 

“Yeah man, almost three. But you woke up just in time for dinner! Come on, I’m sure the others would be glad to see that  you’re finally awake!”

 

Lance was pulled from his warm covers, led by Hunk to the dining area where everyone was just starting to settle in to eat.

 

He jumped as a chorus of “Lance” seemed to erupt from the table, breath being knocked out of him as he found himself in the middle of a group hug, everyone talking at once in concerned ramblings as they looked him over.

 

After reassuring them that he was fine and getting a couple tears in the mix (Hunk’s more obvious than anyone’s and Pidge swears there was just something in her eye) they finally sat down to eat.

 

Dinner returned to normal after that, or as normal as it  could get. Lance could still feel their worried glances on him all through dinner and he forced himself to ignore it, smiling on and continuing on with the conversation even with the immensely heavy feeling that made itself prominent in his chest.

 

He found himself more than relieved when dinner was finally over, excusing himself to leave to his room.

 

More than a few pairs of eyes followed his departure with a look of concern and worry. Navy violet eyes staring after him more intensely than the others.

 

* * *

 

 

Lance lay under the cold spray of the shower, the temperature setting at its lowest as he sat on the floor. His head rested against his knees, arms wrapped around his legs, pulling his knees closer to his chest. A shudder went through him, but not because of the cold.

 

It was never because of the cold.

 

He thought this would help.

 

Help him remember a piece of home within the water’s cold grip.

 

All it did was make him more homesick than he’d been in awhile. And although refreshing in it’s own way the freezing water did nothing to quell this feeling down.

 

Before long an hour had passed, the water pressure from the shower head had lowered considerably. And if Lance knew water he knew that it was frozen in the pipes part way.

 

A sign that his shower was done with.

 

Even Altean tech had it’s limit it seemed.

 

With reluctance he shut off the water, leaving the confines of the small shower stall and  making a face at the instant temperature change.

 

It was too warm.

 

* * *

 

 

Over the next few days he could tell the others had questions, but they kept their mouths shut. Opting instead to go about the day like they hadn’t noticed anything different about him, giving him his space. For that he was grateful, although he knew it could only last for so long.

 

It came to a head on a mission, him and Pidge were paired up for once, she was supposed to get them into the Galra base through a network of underground tunnels that led to a hatch where they could enter without setting off any alarms.

 

The tunnel passageway was small and a tight fit, even for Pidge, but somehow they managed. The stone surface of the tunnel turned to metal as they transitioned to the actual Galra base tunnels, Pidge in front to lead the way as she looked at their route mapped out for them.

 

“The hatch into the base should be up ahead about a hundred or so-” The ground shook, interrupting Pidge and stopping their progress, faintly they could just hear the base alarms from up ahead.

 

“Shit, what the hell happened?” Pidge cursed, bracing herself against the wall as the ground shook again. Parts of the tunnel bent and burst up ahead, cold water hissing out from the now broken pipes.

 

“Pidge we gotta go! Now!” Lance said urgently, pulling Pidge back by her shoulder.

 

Pidge let loose another curse, following Lance back the way they had came as the ground shook and the earth rumbled, water causing them to slip and slowing them down.

 

They had nearly emerged from the tunnel when the ground opened up beneath them in a mess of rubble and twisted metal, falling more than just a few feet to land in ice cold water. Broken pipes and haphazard looking cords came from the walls of the pit they were in, luckily none of the cords were live so they had one less thing to worry about at least.

 

All they had to worry about now was the rapidly filling pit of freezing water and the fact that there didn’t seem to be any way out for the time being. Not that they had any time to spare, with the water filling up like it was they’d be underwater in a good few minutes.

 

Lance looked around for an escape route, eyes spotting a gap between the debris just big enough for Pidge. He pointed it out to her, "I’ll give you a boost up and you go get help- "

 

“I’m not leaving you.” She insisted.

 

“We don’t have a choice, the water’s filling up too quick and you’re the only one here that can fit through there and get help. Otherwise we both end up stuck here, at least this way there’s a chance. I’ll be fine I promise, I have my helmet so I’ll be good for a few hours at least. And knowing you it’ll take less than that.” He reassured her, moving her towards the edge of the wall. Even as her face turned to a frown she nodded in agreement allowing him to give her a boost up and climb out, turning around a second later and yelling over the sound of the running water.

 

“Don’t die until I come back!”

 

He gave her a wide grin and a thumbs up, trying to ease the scared look she held on her face, one he knew she would still have even as she left to get help.

 

Lance took a breath, diving underwater to try and see if there was another way out he could find, he would need one.

 

Especially considering his helmet was damaged and refused to form a full covering.

 

He hadn’t the heart to tell her.

 

* * *

 

 

When he finally came to he’d coughed up water, concerned voices sounding muffled but nonetheless worried and relieved at his actions. His vision was blurry and his lungs ached for air as he breathed in, burning from the cold dryness and causing his chest to ache.

 

 

 

He didn’t remember blacking out, only opening his eyes to dim light and soft sheets under his fingertips. He was surprised he hadn’t woken up from one of the healing pods, but even so his movements felt stiff and his body had a lingering chill about it. From what he could tell he was in the medical bay on one of the beds that they had.

 

Lance sat up slowly, grunting when small arms wrapped around him in a tight hug, something that made him grunt as the pressure on his chest increased, the arms loosening considerably after he’d uttered that sound.

 

“Lance, you’re awake!” Pidge said in relief, brown eyes wide and watery as well.

 

“What happened?” He mumbled, wiping his eyes to try and focus his vision. The rest of the team was around his bed, either sitting in chairs or laying down on the floor, each one waking up and standing to get closer and check on him.

 

“We pulled you out from the tunnels and brought you back to the castle, luckily we got there just in time.” Shiro spoke, answering Lance’s question.

 

“Why am I not in a healing pod?”

 

“You didn’t need one, you had no injuries that required you to be put in one.” Allura was the one to speak up next, blue eyes looking at him with something similar to relief and another emotion he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Actually, now that he looked around, everyone else seemed to have the same expression.

 

“What’s the matter? Why is everyone looking at me like that?” He finally asked, tired blue eyes looking around at everyone before settling onto Shiro, who finally spoke to answer him.

 

“We didn’t find you immediately Lance, it took us at least an hour to get there and get you out. And your helmet is damaged…You shouldn’t be alive.” He explained.

 

“And from what we know apparently humans shouldn’t be able to survive without air for that long.” Coran piped up, “Not even close to that long.” Hunk added, shuffling nervously from foot to foot as Lance’s eyes fell on him.

 

They would’ve found out sooner or later, but Lance would’ve definitely preferred later.

 

“Anything you want to tell us?” Keith was the one to speak up next, the red paladin leaning against the far wall, arms crossed and face impassive as he and everyone else awaited an answer from their blue paladin.

 

“That I __want__ to tell you? Not really.” Lance said, eyes glancing down at the blanket at his lap, fingers messing with the unusually soft fabric, refusing to look at anyone in the room.

 

“ _ _Lance.__ ” Shiro was the one to stress his name out and Allura was the one to speak next. “Humans shouldn’t be able to survive temperatures like you have for as long as you have on that last mission. And from what I’m told they also don’t seem to seek out cold water to swim or bathe in from what the logs tell me. And holding your breath for over an hour isn’t within human possibility either.” She spoke, eyes looking concerned and worried, awaiting an answer like everyone else.

 

Lance bit his lip, fingers picking nervously at a loose thread in the blanket, eyes downcast as he struggled to find the words to explain himself.

 

“I’m…not entirely human.” He finally spoke, refusing to look up at anyone.

 

“So what? Are you part alien or something? Like Keith?” Hunk asked, “I mean, if you are it’s no biggie but it does suck you couldn’t tell us dude.”

 

Lance chuckled at that. Of course they’d guess the most seemingly obvious answer. “No, not even close.”

 

“Then uh, what exactly are you?” Pidge asked nervously, unsure of how to word her question properly.

 

Everyone waited with bated breath for an answer, more curious than anything, Keith especially so even with how his body language might’ve suggested otherwise.

 

“I’m…a selkie.” He finally answered, waiting nervously for a response, preferably a good one.

 

“Wait, like human turning into a seal with a seal skin selkie?” Pidge exclaimed, brows furrowed in confusion, Hunk’s as well when he glanced up towards him.

 

“That’s the one.”

 

“What exactly is a selkie?” Allura questioned, confusion clear on her face.

 

“It’s a mythical creature, or was in this case, a human that can turn into a seal with their seal skin.” Shiro explained to her, Allura and Coran both nodding at the information given.

 

“Where’s your skin at then? I’m pretty sure me or Pidge would have noticed you having a skin by now.” Hunk said.

 

Lance seemed to deflate at that, shrinking in on himself and refusing to look at anyone.

 

“I…I lost it. When I was younger. I had put it away on the beach near some rocks with some shells I had found. Easier to grab shells when you have hands you know? Came back to shore and it was gone.” Lance told them, looking lost and uneasy, eyes distant as if he was thinking of that very memory in vivid detail.

 

And from the devastating look on his face he was.

 

If he was looking at Keith he would’ve seen the same look for a whole other reason.

 

* * *

 

 

“Dude, what is your problem?” Lance said, grabbing a hold of Keith's arm to keep him from leaving.

 

It had been a few weeks since he’d revealed what he was and since then everyone had pretty much acted the same around him, nothing had changed much besides him being picked for water involved missions more than anyone else, which he was fine with. He loved it, especially on the colder planets.

 

But during that time Keith had been more aloof and quiet than normal, especially around Lance. And after being ignored and avoided for so long Lance finally got fed up with it and decided to confront him about it. Which led them to here and now, in the training room where Lance had finally cornered him, holding onto his arm and finally asking him about it almost desperately.

 

No words were spoken for some time until Lance finally cut through the silence again.

 

“Is it…is it because of me? Of what I am?” He asked him, voice getting small despite him trying to hide what the pain of his question caused him.

 

Lance startled when Keith turned towards him quickly, a look in his eyes like he couldn’t believe that what Lance said was even a possibility. “No! That’s not, that’s not why, I just...” Lance waited patiently for Keith to gather his thoughts and form them into words,letting go of his arm when he was sure that the other wouldn’t run off and after realizing he had still been holding onto him all this time.

 

“It’s nothing to get concerned about and it’s not about what you are Lance, I’m the last person that should be saying anything about you not being fully human.” Keith tried to reassure him his words having that affect when he saw Lance give him a small smile, laughing softly at his words.

 

“Anything you want to talk about?” Lance asked him, carefully almost.

 

“No I…I can handle it.” Keith assured him.

 

“Are you sure? Your track record for handling things isn’t…it leaves much to be desired let’s keep it at that.”

 

Keith laughed softly at the jab made at him, smile soft and sincere as he looked at Lance. “I’m sure, promise.”

 

Lance could swear his heartbeat was so loud it echoed through the training room.


End file.
